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It has been reported that Sen. John Thune called out the FCC this week, saying that its recently passed net neutrality rules have exactly the opposite effect on protecting an open internet.

The Federal Communications Commission in last month voted 3-2 in support of reclassifying the Web as a Title II telecom service.

According to Chairman Tom Wheeler, the reclassification of the internet as Title II will be the strongest open internet protections ever proposed.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Thune during an oversight hearing on Wednesday said that it was also one of the most important and most controversial decisions in the agency's history.

The United Nations World Water Development Report, 2015, warned that the world by 2030 will face a 40% shortfall in water supply if water management is not improved.

The report 'Water for a Sustainable World' was released ahead of World Water Day on Friday March 22.

The report was published by the World Water Assessment Programme, and hosted by UNESCO, on behalf of UN-water. It stressed the point that there is an urgent need to change the way we presently use and manage water.

Global water demand is highly influenced by population growth, urbanization, food and energy security policies, and also by macro-economic processes such as trade globalization, changing diets and increasing consumption.

On Friday, home builder KB Home said that it has faced a 26% decline in net profit for the first quarter from last year. The company has reported first-quarter net income of $7.80 million or $0.08 per share, down from $10.56 million or $0.12 per share in the prior-year quarter.

The decline is considered to be due to increased tax expenses and reduced margins more than strong revenue growth. But twist came in as earnings have surpasses the expectations of analysts, which has led to the stock higher.

Jeffrey Mezger, president and chief executive officer, was of the view, "We are pleased with the robust growth in our first quarter net orders, net order value and backlog levels, which was fueled primarily by our expanded community count and healthy buyer demand".

American commercial real estate company Simon Property Group has raised its takeover bid for rival mall owner Macerich Co. to about $16.8 billion. The company has also termed it as the final offer. Indianapolis-headquartered Simon Property is the biggest mall owner in the country. On Friday, the company released a statement where it said that it offered $95.50 a share, up from $91 on March 9.

Both Simon and Macerich have a significant presence in Philadelphia. Simon has about nine areas malls, which include King of Prussia, Philadelphia Mills, and Oxford Valley. As per reports, Macerich will invest over $100 million in the redevelopment of the Gallery at Market East.

A recently conducted study showed that text reminders helped increase the breast cancer screening attendance. Researchers found that women who received a text message as a reminder about their breast cancer screening appointment were 20% more likely to attend their screening than those who were not texted.

Robert Kerrison, lead author of the study, said, "We all forget things now and then, and doctor's appointments are no exception -- in fact, forgetting is one of the most commonly cited reasons why women miss breast cancer screening appointments".

He further said that through their research they have found that cheap, simple text-message-reminder could boost the number of women attending their cancer screening.

An FDA review panel has found that an asthma treatment co-developed by GlaxoSmithKline and Theravance is safe and effective in treating adults, but not adolescents.

Breo Ellipta (fluticasone furoate/vilanterol [FF/VI]) has received FDA panel's support to be used as once-daily inhaled treatment for the asthma patients aged 18 years and older, by a 16-4 vote.

But at the same time, the panel has voted against the use of asthma drug for treating patients aged between 12 and 17 years, with the panel voting 2 in favor and 18 against.

Breo is administered with the Ellipta dry powder inhaler device. It is a fixed-dose combination of the inhaled corticosteroid FF and the long-acting beta2-agonist VI.